Pope Francis says the Vatican is involved in a peace mission to end the war in Ukraine

By Antonia Mortensen, CNN

The Vatican is part of a peace mission to end the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis said Sunday.

“The mission is in the course now, but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” Francis told reporters.

The pontiff made the remarks as he returned to Rome following a three-day trip to the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

During his visit, Francis met with a representative from the pro-Kremlin Russian Orthodox church, Metropolitan Hilarion, and separately with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Asked if the meetings could accelerate peace, Francis said: “I believe that peace is always made by opening channels; peace can never be made by closure.”

Also asked if he was willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, the pope said: “The Holy See is willing to act because it is right, it just is.”

At a meeting with the pope last week, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal asked for his assistance with the children’s return.

Francis also heard testimony from refugees — many from Ukraine — and appealed to the importance of charity during his Budapest visit.

On Sunday, the pontiff also told reporters that he was feeling better after being hospitalized in late March with a respiratory infection.

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